Ricky Rodriguez

Ricky Rodriquez, aka Davidito (legal names: Richard Peter Rodriguez, Richard Peter Smith and David Moses Zerby) (January 25, 1975 - January 8, 2005) was an ex-member of the Children of God (COG), now known as The Family, when he committed a murder-suicide in 2005.

Rodriguez was born in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. He was the natural son of Karen Zerby and a Spanish hotel employee whom she "Flirty Fished". He was considered to be the adopted son of David Berg, Zerby's partner and leader of the COG, although no official adoption ever took place. Rodriguez later developed a deep-seated resentment towards Berg and Zerby, because of the sexual abuse he had suffered as a child and the unconventional upbringing, although his sister with whom he grew up does not hold the same views.

The group published a childcare manual in January 1982 that described the education, home life, and care of Rodriguez. The 700-page book also included a dozen or so photographs depicting the child engaged in sexual play with his governesses, particularly Sara (also known as Sara Davidito, Sara Kelley, or Prisca Kelley). This book was removed from circulation and reprinted without the offending pages. Copies of the original still exist in the collections of former members who have given them to law enforcement agencies. Some pages have been posted on the Internet here: Story Of Davidito

The extent to which Rodriguez was subject to inappropriate sexual activity is disputed. In a 1994 interview with David Millikan, regarding the incidents recorded in the "Story of Davidito", Rodriguez said, "People feel that the sexual activities I had occurred so much more than it really did. They believe it had a bigger emphasis and played a greater part than it did. If they think my early life revolved around sex it's going to seem very weird, but I know this wasn't the case, so it was not such a big deal to me." Millikan also writes: "I pointed out to him that under most legal definitions of sexual abuse, Sara and the other women who participated in sex with him would be found guilty." In Sex, Slander and Salvation, a book funded and edited by The Family, Lawrence Lilliston wrote: "The Davidito book does relate David's early witnessing of sexual behavior and encouragement to explore his own sexuality, and while these experiences would be characterized as sexually abusive or neglectful by most child abuse experts, there is no report of his having been actively molested or abused by adults. Moreover, there is no evidence of long-term negative effects on David. The first author, a clinical child psychologist with thirty years of experience, recently administered a psychological evaluation to David, who is now nineteen, and found him to be a bright, well-adjusted, and emotionally strong young man."

However, when Lilliston attempted to submit his conclusions as testimony in a child custody case involving The Family in the UK, presiding judge Lord Justice Sir Alan Ward stated: "[Lilliston's observations of another young man born in the Family] seem to me to be superficial and to lack academic credibility. Likewise his conclusion about Davidito. This was an opportunity to explore exactly what had taken place in Berg's household. He merely touched upon these matters and Davidito made it obvious he was not prepared to talk about it. Nor did they talk about the reasons which impelled that young man [Ricky Rodriguez, aka Davidito] to make attempts on his life said by The Family to have been caused by Satanic influences. Because I conclude that Dr Lilliston was not too concerned critically to examine The Family's past, I cannot be sure I get an accurate picture from him." [1]

Rodriguez wrote an article on the Web site MovingOn.org in which he describes Berg's deviant sexual activity involving a number of women and children.

When Rodriguez grew to adulthood he left the group, married Elixcia Munumel (his girlfriend who left with him). In September 2004, after separating from his wife, he moved to Tucson, Arizona and worked as an electrician. According to accounts by his friends and relatives, he moved there because he heard his mother had visited and he wanted to find her, her location being secret even to him, due to his speaking out about his childhood. In January 2005, he arranged a meeting with a former associate of his mother's who was involved in his childhood sexual molestation, Angela Smith (formerly Susan Joy Kauten) and stabbed her to death in his apartment. He then drove to Blythe, California where he shot himself in the head. He released a video to be distributed to friends, family and former members explaining his actions. According to an article in the New York Times, in the video, "he said he saw himself as a vigilante avenging children like him and his sisters who had been subject to rapes and beatings." "There's this need that I have," he said. "It's not a want. It's a need for revenge. It's a need for justice, because I can't go on like this." "Murder and Suicide Reviving Claims of Child Abuse in Cult", Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, January 15 2005. pg. A-1.

External links

*In Loving Memory of Ricky Rodriguez by his widow and other friends
*Ricky Rodriguez biography on a website run by The Family International
*Ricky Rodriguez biography on the xFamily.org wiki